Author

Adam Wellner

Document Type

Thesis - University Access Only

Award Date

2011

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department / School

Civil and Environmental Engineering

Abstract

Over 90% of the United States land area is termed as rural. Additional traffic fatality rates in rural areas are approximately 2.5 times higher than in urban areas Despite the enormous land area clear and safety risk, many rural roadway authorities lack sophisticated resources for crash mitigation. The spatial dispersion of crashes in rural areas makes it difficult to reliably identify high-risk locations. GIS-HSR tools. an ESRI geoprocessing script. was developed using modern statistical and analytical techniques, including sliding window analysis and Empirical Bayesian (EB) statistics. It is designed to leverage the current computer and spatial processing techniques while limiting necessary user interaction. The tool makes use of existing geometric traffic and law enforcement crash response data reporting normally available to the roadway authority allowing for low cost implementation by practicing professionals. GIS-HSR tools is an efficient solution to several rural safety prioritization challenges. This tool implements both modeling and crash count-based screening methods, offering flexible and accurate prioritization options for safety engineers.

Library of Congress Subject Headings

Rural roads -- South Dakota -- Safety measures -- Data processing

Traffic safety -- South Dakota -- Data processing

Format

application/pdf

Number of Pages

100

Publisher

South Dakota State University

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